MIT Responds To ‘Tupac’ Allegations

By Waseem S. Daher

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

MIT responded last Thursday to a subpoena from Paramount Pictures asking who was responsible for a computer at the Civil and Environmental Engineering headquarters that allegedly distributed an illegal copy of the film “Tupac: Resurrection” at 1:40 a.m. on Dec. 4.

The Institute did not make its response available. But it appears likely that MIT told Paramount of what seems to be the most plausible explanation for the late-night file-trading: that no one at MIT should be held responsible, because the computer, running Microsoft Windows 2000, appears to have been infected with a virus and operated remotely.

“We believe the computer was compromised,” said Ann M. Hammersla, the senior counsel for intellectual property. “We did respond as we were supposed to.” She declined to comment further.